Processing Wood
The Wood Processors Tool Kit supports the expansion of the wood processing industry in PNG. We're creating a one-stop source of information for the public and private sectors.

Wood processing techniques

The Wood Processors Tool Kitsupports the expansion of the value added wood processing industry in PNG. We're creating a one-stop source of information for the public and private sectors. Have a look at the wood processing resources that are currently available for viewing and downloading (see below). Then, click on the "Read More" buttons to find out more.

Until recently, there have been limited opportunities to efficiently process small-diameter trees into high-value wood products, because conventional processing methods generally have very low recovery of products from small-diameter trees. As a consequence, large areas of forests including plantations are underutilised and often regarded as low quality. Production of veneer products has been part of the wood processing sector in many countries, but the capital investment required and the necessary scale of operation was a barrier to adoption in the pacific islands. The following resources present new technologies for veneer processing operations that can utilise small-diameter trees grown by farmers:

Introductory videos showing selection of veneer processing techniques

Technical guide to manufacturing rotary veneer and products from small logs

Cocowood fibre has properties similar to many hardwood timbers. High density cocowood can be used for flooring, furniture, joinery, panelling, pallets, plywood and veneers, utility poles (preservative-treated) and feature posts. Lower density material can be used for turnery, insulation, handicrafts and charcoal, firewood and a potting substrate for plants. Cocowood has good environmental credentials. Extensive areas of coconut plantations are grown throughout the Pacific Region in 60-80 year rotations. Large areas of now senile palms yield only small coconut crops, and replanting is economically sustainable when coconut stems are sold for cocowood processing. The emerging cocowood harvesting and processing sector provides income for smallholders and employment for regional communities. There are currently 2 cocowood processing resources available:

In Papua New Guinea, timber is commonly attacked by borer beetles and termites. Borers such as ambrosia and bostrychid beetles attack logs that are drying. Attack by these 'green timber' insects may be prevented by a variety of techniques, including the application of a preservative treatment to susceptible sapwood. Lyctine beetles and termites degrade timber in service and are major 'dry timber' insect pests.

Drying timber to produce material for high-quality applications is an expensive and time-consuming operation. It is often referred to as the ‘bottleneck’ of the production process. Timber drying depends on many different parameters, including the environmental conditions and the species and thickness of timber being dried. In general, practical objectives are related to low drying cost, short drying time and reasonable dried quality. There are currently 2 technical reports and one manual available on these topics: